1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to muzzle-loading firearms in which a rotatable breechblock is pivotally mounted on a rearward barrel lug at the breech-end of the muzzle loader firearm enabling a combined triggerguard and lever to move the breechblock rearwardly and downwardly from a securely locked closed firing position to an open priming position by a pivotal link operationally connecting the guard lever to the breechblock. The prior art of the present invention includes the class of 42/34 and 42/51.
2. State of the Prior Art
In the present invention, the movement of the breechblock between its closed locked position and its open position exposes a screwably removable breech plug for receiving a primer. The breech-loading action of the present invention provides a comfortable and safe operation equally for left-handed and right-handed shooters of muzzle-loading firearms. The guard lever of the present invention has an interlock safety which engages a curved blade portion of the trigger preventing the firing of the firearm unless the breechblock is in its fully locked position. In the present invention, a trigger mechanism utilizes a hammer block as an extended part of the trigger thereby providing an automatic hammer block safety. The firing mechanism of the present invention is self-contained in the pivotal breechblock as a unitary structure.
Prior art of swinging block actions of class 42/26 or falling block actions of class 42/23 comprise pivotal toggle-link systems that lock the breechblock in the firing position and that lower the breechblock after firing were difficult to manufacture and to assemble because of the high precision required to minimize mechanical play inherent in breech-loading actions having a plurality of moving pins, joints, and links. Prior art of muzzle-loading firearms, having bolt-actions and break-open actions with breech plugs for utilizing primers, are inherently more cumbersome and less safe to operate than the present invention. In other muzzle-loading firearms having mounted scopes near the bolt-action fire mechanisms, the operations of priming, the removal of fired primers, the cleaning, and the maintenance is particularly difficult because the breech plug is much less accessible. A muzzle-loading firearm of the prior art, having bolt-action or break-open action mechanisms, requires the removal of the barrel from the frame and other disassembly of moving parts before the breech plug becomes accessible for cleaning and maintenance. The sport enthusiast prefers the simple and convenient firing mechanism of a breech-loading cartridge rifle but also seeks the classical character of the muzzle-loading firearm. The present invention overcomes the disadvantages that are inherent in breech-loading actions for muzzle-loading firearms of prior art and, at the same time, offers the sport enthusiast the simplicity and inexpensive convenience of a lever-operated breechblock by utilizing an improved linkage design for locking it in its firing position. The most distinctive improvement of the present invention is a lever-operated breechblock containing a firing mechanism assembly mounted therein as a unitary structure with a provision of pivotally moving the breechblock from its securely locked position to its open position for making the firearm readily accessible for safe loading of the primer, easy and safe extraction of the detonated primer, easy removal of the breech plug, and easy disassembly of the firearm for safe maintenance, cleaning, and inspection.
The object of the present invention is a provision for a firearm having an easy and safe operation and fewer moving parts resulting in simple construction, an economical method of manufacture, and a long life of useful service.
A further object of the present invention is a provision for a muzzle-loading firearm having a shorter breech assembly thereby making it possible to utilize a longer muzzle. It is well known to those skilled in the art that a longer muzzle will produce a higher projectile speed and, hence, an increased projectile accuracy at a greater range.
Another object of the present invention is a provision for a firearm having a direct sight and accessibility of the breech plug and an easier, more convenient, faster, and safer method of readily inserting and properly seating a primer into, and extracting a detonated primer from, said breech plug without using a specialized tool for such an operation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an easier, more convenient, faster, and safer means of readily removing the breech plug without disassembling either the firearm, or the firing mechanism assembly, or the breech assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to incorporate an automatic hammer block safety and an interlock safety on the trigger making a manual on/off safety redundant. By incorporating a readily removable breech plug in the new sealed breech assembly, a manner of safe storage of the rifle is available by safely storing the removed breech plug in a separate location from the firearm.
Another useful improvement of this invention is that once the breech plug is removed, a straight view access passage extending longitudinally from the breech to the ignition chamber in the barrel is available and it becomes possible to extract either an unfired powder charge, or a combined powder charge-projectile, through the breech-end of the barrel by inserting a ramrod into the muzzle-end of the barrel and pushing the ramrod towards the rear until the powder charge, or the combined powder charge-projectile, has completely exited through the open breech-end of the firearm.
A further object of the present invention is a provision for a sealed and weatherproof breech when the breechblock is in its securely locked position for minimizing the risk of hangfire and/or misfire.
Another object of the present invention is that the sealed breech prevents the hot exhaust gases from the detonated primer to be released in the proximity of the shooter.
A further object of the invention is a provision for preventing an accidental firing when the hammer mechanism is in the cocked, ready-to-fire, position and the breechblock is in its open position.
A still further object of the invention is a provision of a firearm wherein the breechblock is prevented from moving to its open position when the hammer is in its cocked position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a firearm in which the hammer is prevented from being moved to its cocked position while the breechblock is in its open position.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification.
In general, the invention consists of a muzzle-loading firearm having a barrel, a pivotally rotating breechblock, in combination a trigger guard and a pivotally rotating lever connected to the breechblock by a pivotally mounted linkage, a removable breech plug with a cavity for receiving a primer at the breech-end of the barrel, a firing mechanism assembly for detonating the primer comprising a trigger pivotally mounted on the breechblock and having a rearwardly attached curved tongue, a pivotally mounted torsion spring for forwardly biasing the trigger, a hammer block fixed to the trigger as an upward extension, a hammer which is pivotally mounted on the breechblock and is forwardly biased by a torsion spring, and a firing pin slidably mounted in the breechblock and axially aligned with the primer-receiver chamber and the bore of the barrel. The firing mechanism assembly is a unitary member of the breechblock structure. The breechblock rotates pivotally rearwardly and downwardly from its closed position to its open position by the manual operation of the lever. At a relative angular over-the-center lock position of the link, with reference to the center of the lever pivot pin, the breechblock is securely locked against the breech-end of the barrel by forces exerted by the connective link. The hammer block extends from the pivot point of the trigger to a position in which it blocks the hammer from reaching its forward firing position when the trigger is in its forward neutral position. The hammer in its intermediate neutral position, acting through the hammer block, prevents the trigger from being moved rearwardly from its forward neutral position. When the hammer is moved to its rearward cocked position, it causes the trigger to move from its forward neutral position to an intermediate ready-to-fire position. Thereafter, the trigger can be pulled to its rearward position to release the cocked hammer to its forward firing position for engaging the firing pin only when the breechblock is securely locked by the connective link, The curved tongue portion of the trigger engages an interlock pin on the triggerguard and prevents the firing of the muzzle-loading firearm when the breechblock is in the open position.